Former USC Coach Lane Kiffin spent a week last month observing Alabama's program. Now, with Alabama offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier taking a similar position at Michigan, Kiffin is in consideration to replace him with the Crimson Tide, according to several reports . Kiffin and Alabama Coach Nick Saban are friends and share the same agent, Jimmy Sexton. USC Athletic Director Pat Haden fired Kiffin on Sept. 29, after the Trojans returned to Los Angeles from a loss at Arizona State.

California employers added a net 44,300 jobs in November, posting strong job growth toward the end of the year, according to data from the state's Employment Development Department. The surge in hiring was largely in retail trade, part of the typical hiring uptick during the busy holiday shopping season. Construction and manufacturing both posted healthy job gains, both for the month and over the last year. California's unemployment rate also declined slightly to 8.5% in November, down from 8.7% the month before, state data show.

Consumer confidence unexpectedly rebounded in December to a five-month high after slumping in recent months partly due to the partial government shutdown, according to a Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary reading. The widely watched gauge of consumer sentiment reached 82.5, up from a November reading of 75.1 The boost is likely to be welcomed by retailers, who have reported weak holiday sales compared with last year. On Thursday, data firm Retail Metrics reported that same-store retail sales -- excluding figures from the Gap and Zumiez chains -- rose an anemic 1.9% last month, missing expectations for a 3% year-over-year increase. PHOTOS: Richest and poorest cities in America November's weak sales disappointed retailers who had gone all-out in their efforts to lure consumers.

NEW YORK -- Stocks jumped nearly 1% after the U.S. Labor Department reported the economy gained 203,000 new jobs in November, beating expectations. The Dow Jones industrial average added 141.02 points, or 0.9%, to 15,962.53 shortly after the opening bell on Wall Street. The Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 16.27 points, or 0.9%, to 1,801.30. The tech-focused Nasdaq composite index rose 28.96 points, or 0.7%, to 4,062.12. QUIZ: How much do you know about the stock market?

WASHINGTON -- After the lackluster September employment report, many analysts agree that the Federal Reserve is now likely to put off a reduction in its bond-buying stimulus program until next year, possibly as late as March. That expectation was behind the cheery Wall Street reaction to the Labor Department's disappointing report Tuesday: The economy added a modest 148,000 net new jobs last month, completing a third quarter during which job growth averaged just 143,000 a month -- down from 182,000 in the second quarter and 207,000 in the first three months of the year.

WASHINGTON -- After a lackluster September employment report, a top White House official warned Tuesday that the partial government shutdown led the labor market to worsen this month and probably cost the economy "a decent number of jobs. " Jason Furman, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, noted that September was the 43rd straight month of private sector job growth. In a report delayed by the shutdown, the Labor Department said the economy added 148,000 jobs overall last month, well below analyst expectations of 185,000.

WASHINGTON -- The nation's unemployment rate dropped to a five-year low of 7.2% in September, the government reported Tuesday, but employers continued to show reluctance in hiring as they added a moderate 148,000 jobs over the month. The Labor Department report, delayed 2 1/2 weeks because of the partial federal government shutdown, reflected an economy growing at a lackluster rate. The latest job gains matched the pace since the start of summer but came in below Wall Street's forecast for an increase of about 175,000 jobs.

WASHINGTON - The job market weakened in September amid a slowdown in key growth engines such as healthcare and leisure - a worrisome sign given that the employment picture probably worsened this month with the partial federal government shutdown. Employers last month added a modest 148,000 net new jobs, the Labor Department said Tuesday. That was down from an upwardly revised job growth of 193,000 in August, and well below analysts' forecasts for about 180,000 new jobs in September.

WASHINGTON -- It's official: The Labor Department will not issue the September jobs report Friday. In a brief statement, the agency confirmed that because of the partial government shutdown, it would not be releasing on time what is widely viewed as the single most important monthly economic indicator. The jobs report is almost always released on the first Friday of the month, and it includes statistics on unemployment and payroll changes. There was speculation that the report could be issued as scheduled under a special exception.